Former Pentland Brands global president Chris Stephenson has been appointed as the new chief executive of Jigsaw.
Stephenson, who has worked for Pentland Brands since 2017 after leading rugby brand Canterbury since 2008, is understood to have taken up the role in July 2016 after acting as a non-executive director for several months.
He will replace Peter Ruis, who departed the fashion retailer with immediate effect in March to join Anthropologie.
Following Ruis’ departure, Jigsaw received lump sum of £20 million in order to protect itself from being added to the growing list of high-street casualties going down the path of CVAs or administrations.
Carphone Warehouse founder David Ross secured a stake in the retailer in exchange for £5 million, alongside another £5 million from majority shareholder John Robinson, and another £10 million from Secure Trust Bank.
Although Jigsaw – which trades from about 80 standalone shops in the UK – recorded a sales uptick in the lead-up to Christmas, higher import costs still negatively affected the retailer.
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